Cat ownership provides a number of benefits, some of which are intangible. One of the most obvious benefits is companionship. However, cats also provide entertainment and amusement for their owners through their normal and sometimes playful activities.
Despite the enjoyable characteristics of cats, many are shy and retiring, preferring to stay out of the way of human activities-particularly human activities which involve children, strangers, or dogs. This causes many cats to adopt hidden corners or other out-of-the-way spots as their own private areas. While these spots may be acceptable to the cat, the cat owner might not approve of the chosen spots. Furthermore, most cat owners would prefer that their cat spend more time in observable places, so as to increase the enjoyment of cat ownership. In an effort to lure their cat into view, cat owners purchase a variety of toys and other apparatuses which are placed in the owners' living areas so that the cat can entertain and amuse the owners while playing. Even so, most cats will not remain in these areas for long.
Cat "houses" are available for use within an owner's home. However, these houses typically defeat one of the primary benefits of cat ownership by allowing the cat to hide itself from view. Other devices include various play equipment, scratching posts, and climbing elements. Many of these structures are desirably quite large, presenting a shipping problem for distributors and a storage problem for retail sellers of such structures.
The invention described below is a structure which can be located in or near an owner's primary living areas, while also providing privacy and security for a cat. The structure also includes a number of optional play devices. The result is a dwelling structure which a cat can consider his own, within the midst of his owner's otherwise distracting activities. Having such an area encourages the cat to be visible more often, since he has the confidence of knowing that a safe and quick retreat is possible. The structure is light-weight and easily assembled to require a minimum amount of space, while also being easily disassembled for efficient shipping and storage.